1. (Xinhua) A woman walks among tabebuia chrysantha blossoms at Qingxiu Mountain scenic area in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on March 14, 2025. 
    An aerial drone photo taken on March 14, 2025 shows tabebuia chrysantha blossoms at Qingxiu Mountain scenic area in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. 
    People enjoy tabebuia chrysantha blossoms at Qingxiu Mountain scenic area in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on March 14, 2025. 
    People enjoy tabebuia chrysantha blossoms at Qingxiu Mountain scenic area in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on March 14, 2025. 
    People enjoy tabebuia chrysantha blossoms at Qingxiu Mountain scenic area in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on March 14, 2025. 


    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-14 21:08:40
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  2. (Xinhua) Hong Kong registered 8.4 million visitor arrivals in the first two months of 2025, up 7 percent year-on-year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said.

    Among them, approximately 6.5 million visitor arrivals were from the mainland, up 4 percent from last year. Visitor arrivals from elsewhere jumped significantly, hitting 1.91 million and representing a 20 percent increase from last year, the HKTB data showed.

    Short-haul markets have shown particularly strong performance, with 1.13 million visitor arrivals recorded in the reporting months, up 26 percent. Notably, travelers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea all increased over 30 percent.

    In the long-haul sector, around 500,000 arrivals were made from overseas, reflecting a 20 percent increase, with Australia leading the way at an impressive growth rate of 34 percent.

    To enhance experience for travelers, the tourism board has launched a new program platform titled "Hong Kong Great Outdoors," designed to introduce global visitors to the city's scenic hiking trails, outlying islands, and geological parks.

    The recent budget proposal from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government for the fiscal year 2025/2026 included a significant allocation of 1.235 billion Hong Kong dollars ($158.8 million) to the tourism board, aimed at realizing the concept of "tourism is everywhere" and implementing the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0.

    Source: Xinhua | Updated: 2025-03-16 07:14

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  3. (Xinhua) The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal welcomed a record number of foreign tourists on Sunday, as two large international cruise ships docked at the port.

    The ships, AIDAstella of AIDA Cruises and Spectrum of the Seas belonging to Royal Caribbean International, brought nearly 4,800 foreign tourists to the east China metropolis, marking the highest single-day arrival of international visitors since this Shanghai terminal opened in 2011.

    AIDAstella made its maiden call at the terminal on Sunday. Operated by AIDA Cruises, which primarily serves European markets, the ship is carrying approximately 2,200 foreign tourists, mainly from Germany and Poland, on a 14-day voyage that starts from Bangkok and stops at Vietnam, Japan, and China's Hong Kong, Taiwan and Shanghai.

    Elizabeth, a tourist from Poland, said: "This is my first time in China, and I'm traveling with my family. I'm looking forward to this trip." She added that she plans to go to the Great Wall in Beijing on her next trip.

    During their stay, tourists will visit Shanghai's landmarks, including the Bund, Yuyuan Garden and Oriental Pearl Tower. They will also take trips to nearby cities like Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province.

    Spectrum of the Seas, which operates from Wusongkou as its home port, is carrying about 2,600 foreign tourists on this cruise. Angela Stephen, senior vice president of Royal Caribbean's international business, praised the terminal's excellent facilities and beautiful surroundings, emphasizing the company's confidence in the Chinese cruise market.

    Notably, the growing popularity of "China Travel" has fueled a surge in Shanghai's cruise tourism market. Upcoming cruise ship visits include Mein Schiff 6 of TUI Cruises both this month and in April, while Costa Serena of Costa Cruises will return to the Chinese market in June.

    Shanghai is leveraging its cruise tourism potential by developing diverse travel products, aiming to establish itself as the premier destination for inbound cruise tourism in China. 

    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-16 18:53:45

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  4. (Xinhua) SF Airlines, China's largest air-cargo carrier in terms of fleet size, has increased its fleet to 90 freighters, notable progress for the company in strengthening its service capacity in the global market, the cargo carrier announced on Sunday.

    The 90th member of the SF Airlines fleet, a B767-300BCF widebody freighter, arrived at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport on Sunday to join the fleet, the cargo carrier said.

    The company disclosed that currently more than 30 percent of its freighter fleet consists of widebody jets -- which are key players on its air route networks, reaching destinations both domestically and globally.

    The expansion of the scale and improved structure of its transport capacity will support SF Airlines in its endeavors to broaden its air-cargo transport route network, which reaches over 100 destinations at home and globally. It also enhances the airline's services for logistics supply chains and customers, the cargo carrier added.

    Headquartered in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province, SF Airlines received its first freighter and launched its first cargo route back in 2009.

    In 2024, SF Airlines transported more than 1.17 million tonnes of air cargo -- exceeding one million tonnes of annual cargo volume for the first time in its history, the company said. 

    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-16 19:14:45

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  5. (China Daily) The Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission recently announced that 1 million yuan ($138,000) will be allocated this year to funding a preliminary study into the feasibility of constructing a new Shenzhen-Zhuhai sea-crossing bridge.

    Positioned between the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, the new bridge is designed to span about 46.5 kilometers and will have four rail tracks, making it the first sea-crossing road-rail bridge in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

    The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which opened in 2024, has shortened the travel time between Shenzhen and Zhuhai to about 70 minutes by vehicle, while the new Shenzhen-Zhuhai bridge is expected to further shorten the travel time to around 30 minutes.

    News about a possible Shenzhen-Zhuhai bridge has been circulating for many years, but as yet there has been no official confirmation that the project will proceed or timeline set for its construction, as various challenges are still to be dealt with — such as technical challenges, financial investment arrangements, and environmental impact assessments.

    However, market expectations have been reignited, with the mega project having been frequently mentioned in several government plans recently.

    At a press conference in December, the Ministry of Transport highlighted the Shenzhen-Zhuhai link as a key project under consideration, and said that efforts were underway to accelerate the preliminary work. The Shenzhen transportation authority also said it would advance the preliminary work this year, and the Zhuhai municipal government stated it would include the high-speed railway between Shenzhen and Zhuhai in the 15th Five-Year Plan.

    “With the rapid development of the Greater Bay Area, the population on both sides of the Pearl River Delta has increased substantially, and the interactions and exchanges (relating to) the economy and culture will further intensify,” said Chen Dejian, an engineer with the China Railway Fifth Survey and Design Institute Group.

    The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link has become a major transportation artery with an average daily traffic volume of over 100,000 vehicles, and congestion is common during holidays.

    Chen believes it is imperative to build a direct cross-sea passage connecting Shenzhen and Zhuhai to promote the high-speed development of the Greater Bay Area.

    Song Ding, a senior researcher at the China Development Institute, believes a new Shenzhen-Zhuhai link, as a road-rail passage, will have a profound impact.

    Song said he estimates that the economic, trade, social, and cultural exchanges between the two sides will become more frequent and closer once the new link opens, injecting new vitality into the coordinated development of the Greater Bay Area.

    Compared to the other two cross-sea bridges, the railway design is the highlight of plans for this new bridge. According to an official announcement earlier, the plan is to provide both intercity and high-speed railway systems.

    The high-speed rail will connect to the national high-speed railway network, while the intercity railway will serve the needs of commuters within the urban cluster.

    Source: China Daily by Chai Hua in Shenzhen  Published: 23:42, March 13, 2025 | Updated: 02:29, March 14, 2025

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  6. (Xinhua) People visit Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23. 
    A student paints a picture at Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23. 
    A woman poses for a photo during Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23.
    Flowers are pictured at Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23. 
    People visit Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23. 
    Visitors take photos during Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23. 
    A visitor takes a photo during Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. The flower show kicked off on Friday and will last until March 23.


    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-14 21:07:29
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  7. (Xinhua) Beijing experienced a sharp temperature drop on Saturday with multiple areas seeing snowfall. In response, municipal authorities decided to extend the heating season by two days, pushing it until Monday.

    Zhao Wei, chief forecaster at the Beijing Meteorological Observatory, said a cold front caused rain-snow transitions, with moderate to heavy snow in western and northern mountainous areas and rain turning to sleet or snow in plains from Friday to Saturday.

    Zhao added temperatures are expected to range from 6 degrees Celsius during the day to minus 2 degrees Celsius at night on Saturday, about 5 degrees Celsius lower than the levels on Friday.

    As of 1 p.m. Saturday, the northern districts of Huairou, Yanqing and Miyun had issued a yellow alert for icy roads, forecasting snow in the daytime and the evening.

    China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system for strong winds, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 

    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-15 17:49:15

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  8. (Xinhua) China's courier sector experienced rapid expansion in the first two months of 2025, with significant growth in delivery volume and capability-building, according to an industry index released by the State Post Bureau on Friday.

    The express delivery development index was 368.6 during the period, an increase of 11.8 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the bureau.

    China's express delivery volume remained high throughout the first two months, as the sector entered one of its busiest periods during the Spring Festival holiday. From January 28 to February 4, the business volume of express delivery enterprises reached 1.15 billion parcels, a year-on-year increase of 31 percent.

    The bureau projected that the volume of courier services and business revenue would surge by 24.6 percent and 16.6 percent from a year earlier, respectively, in the first two months.

    The sub-index for development strength also improved during the period, as relevant enterprises focused on building logistics infrastructure, expanding delivery channels, and achieving breakthroughs in unmanned delivery vehicles, the bureau said.

    The index is compiled based on data from major logistics firms operating delivery services. It reflects the overall business activities and trends in the country's courier sector. 

    Source: Xinhua  2025-03-15 11:42:15

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  9. (China Daily) Chinese logistics and energy equipment maker China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC) said it has made significant strides in overseas markets this year, as it capitalized on growing demand for its products to secure lucrative orders and complete key deliveries abroad.

    The Shenzhen, Guangdong province-based company said its energy and chemical unit has signed 60 million yuan ($8.3 million) worth of agreements with Saudi Arabian petrochemicals company Sabic to supply equipment for the storage of butadiene, an industrial chemical.

    Earlier this year, the company's subsidiary specializing in airport-related solutions secured a 50 million yuan order from RAM Handling, a handling operator in Morocco, under which the Chinese firm will provide equipment to help enhance ground handling capabilities at airports in the North African country.

    The company has also made deliveries to various other markets. Last month it won a bid in Singapore to offer automated warehousing and logistics equipment for the city-state.

    Additionally, Dutch marine contractor Van Oord's offshore installation vessel, built by CIMC, was delivered in January, marking the world's largest of its kind. The company sees emerging markets as a key opportunity.

    "Emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America have strong demand for infrastructure and they have enormous demographic dividends," said Wu Sanqiang, secretary of the board at CIMC, both listed in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

    "Coupled with the accelerated process of regional economic integration, these regions are expected to provide growth opportunities for our container, energy and logistics equipment business, and help us hedge against the risk of volatility in mature markets."

    The positive backdrop for CIMC comes at a time when Chinese manufacturing enterprises are accelerating their presence overseas, especially in emerging economies, to diversify their sources of revenue amid domestic competition and heightened geopolitical risks.

    This trend has been particularly evident in Guangdong province, known for its strong manufacturing capacity. Among listed companies in the southern province, over 60 percent are believed to have taken steps to "go global", helping the province achieve the nation's highest concentration of enterprises with the largest share of overseas revenue, according to local media.

    In a 2024 report by Deloitte China, the consultancy said it assisted more than 2,000 Chinese enterprises with overseas expansion plans involving 96 countries.

    Chinese enterprises are expected to further diversify their destinations of overseas investments for the foreseeable future, with the manufacturing sector more likely to set up business in regions close to their product end-users and markets, the report said.

    Zhang Yi, CEO and chief analyst of market consultancy iiMedia Research, said that Chinese manufacturing enterprises have shifted from exporting low value-added products to high value-added products, including high-end equipment and new energy vehicles, for example. This shift underscored the country's technological innovation leap.

    However, he also noted that more research needs to be done on product design, marketing strategy, analysis of local policies and market potential to avoid "blind expansion".

    Source: By Zhou Mo in Shenzhen, Guangdong | China Daily | Updated: 2025-03-14 10:02

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  10. (China Daily) China's top court has urged courts nationwide to crack down on companies that lure customers into prepaid purchases without delivering services, aiming to strengthen consumer protections and promote business integrity.

    The Supreme People's Court issued a 27-article judicial interpretation on handling civil cases involving prepaid consumption on the eve of World Consumer Rights Day, which takes place on March 15 each year. The move responds to public concerns and seeks to ensure the healthy development of advance payment models, said Chen Yifang, chief judge of the court's First Civil Division, at a news conference on Friday.

    For years, disputes have arisen when prepaid service providers — such as gyms, beauty salons and educational institutions — shut down or cease operations after consumers have already purchased services or recharged their membership cards.

    In one case disclosed by the court, a consumer surnamed Zhang paid 2,000 yuan ($277) for a one-year gym membership on July 2, 2023, which included 60 fitness sessions. The gym abruptly ceased operations in August, after Zhang had participated in just 12 sessions. Zhang sued the gym operator, seeking a refund for the unused 48 sessions.

    A grassroots court ruled in Zhang's favor, ordering the gym to refund 1,600 yuan for breaching the prepaid contract.

    "Prepaid consumption, widely adopted for its cost-saving benefits, is designed as a mutually advantageous practice," said Wu Jingli, deputy chief judge of the division. By paying upfront, consumers often enjoy discounted rates or bundled services, while businesses benefit from steady cash flow and customer retention.

    "However, this advance payment model carries risks when operators treat prepaid funds as informal financing tools, exposing consumers to financial harm if mismanaged," Wu said, adding that the new judicial interpretation aims to address such risks.

    Under the guidelines, which take effect May 1, businesses that shut down or cease operations after collecting prepayments — while failing to provide services and evading refund requests — may be deemed fraudulent and subject to punitive compensation. In severe cases, operators could face criminal liability.

    The document also stipulates that consumers have the right to terminate contracts and request refunds if businesses relocate in ways that cause inconvenience, transfer operations without consumer consent or fail to deliver services tied to time-based membership cards.

    Additionally, consumers will be allowed to cancel prepaid contracts and seek refunds on legitimate health-related grounds.

    "For example, consumers who fall ill and lose their hair no longer need hairdressing services. Those who become disabled may no longer require fitness services. Those who are seriously ill and hospitalized no longer need eldercare services. In such cases, they can apply for refunds," Wu said.

    Chen said courts will continue working with government agencies to curb practices that harm consumers and disrupt market order. They will also guide businesses to operate with integrity to enhance public confidence in prepaid services.

    In 2024, China issued a guideline to tighten supervision over advance payment models used by many eldercare facilities, aiming to regulate the growing senior care sector and protect the interests of the country's aging population.

    Source: By Cao Yin | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2025-03-15 00:08

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